Fonts Similar to Handel Gothic

Written by chelsea oliver | 13/05/2017

(Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images)

The popular font called Handel Gothic was designed in the 1960s by Don Handel. While it was originally used in a 1973 United Airlines logo, it became very popular when it was released for use by graphic designers. It is a sans serif font, meaning that the letters do not feature the small dashes at the end of the strokes, and has square proportions and a lower case height that make it a highly readable font.

Font Family

After its initial creation, Handel Gothic was expanded by other artists from simply a font into a category of typeface, wherein there is now many different fonts that have attributes that label them as such. Most notably, fonts that fall into the Handel Gothic family have a geometric design that appears contemporary or even, as remarked by some, futuristic.

Similarities

There are many varieties of Handel Gothic typeface, or many fonts which are similar to the original. Aside from the initial version created by Don Handel, Handel Gothic has been expanded to include mainly renderings which encompass such elements as compression, shadow, darkness and thickness. For example, there is Handel Gothic Light, Medium and Bold, with Handel Gothic Light being thinner and lighter, and Handel Gothic Bold being thick, dark and heavy.

Handel Gothic Font Family

In addition to Light, Medium and Bold, there is also Handel Gothic Only Shadow, which is outlined letters with a subtle shadow around the edge. Handel Gothic Only Shadow also has the distinctions of Light, Medium and Bold, but in this case the shadowy outline gets progressively lighter, with Only Shadow Bold being nearly indiscernible on the page. Another variety of Handel Gothic is called Compress, and this font is in capital letters; these letters are closer together than in the other fonts, giving a more compressed appearance, and there is Handel Gothic Compress Light and Medium available.

Similar Font Families

Several font families which are based on, and look similar to, Handel Gothic have been created. For example, there is EF Handel Sans Central European, a font family created by Elsner and Flake which features the typical Light, Medium and Bold, as well as Oblique versions of these, which are slightly italicised. Also similar to Handel Gothic are the font families Gothic 725 Tilde, Gothic Condensed, and Gothic Outline Title, which resemble the basic Handel Gothic typeface, Handel Gothic Compressed, and Handel Gothic Only Shadow respectively.